1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method for generating timing signals in a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, and a CMOS image sensor using the same, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for generating timing signals based on an Application Specific Instruction Set Processor (ASISP), and a CMOS image sensor using the same. Non-limiting examples of the timing signals include a control signal for an analog processor and a pixel processor, and a control signal for an image processor, and so on.
2. Description of the Related Art
The structure of a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS) may be divided into a pixel processing block, an analog processing block, an image processing block, and a digital processing block. In general, a timing signal generator of the digital processing block generates timing signals by using many registers, counters, and comparators, and transmits the generated timing signals to the pixel processing block, the analog processing block, and the image processing block. Non-limiting examples of the timing signals include a control signal for the analog processing block and the pixel processing block, a control signal for the image processing block, and so on.
Timing signal generators, as described above, are generally large circuits with high power consumption, because they generate timing signals by using many registers, counters and comparators.
Another reason a typical timing signal generator has a large and complicated circuit structure is because it has to generate timing signals not only for the actual driving of the pixel processing block and the analog processing block, but also for the testing thereof. Due to the bigger and more complicated circuit structure, it takes more time for the timing signal generator to be realized.
Also, since the typical timing signal generator has all of its functions implemented in hardware, its functions are fixed when the timing signal generator is designed and hardly changed. If another function needs to be added or a function needs to be modified, the corresponding hardware has to be changed. Therefore, the general timing signal generator has poor functional extensibility and flexibility.
For this reason, it would be beneficial to develop a timing signal generator that may be used in a CMOS image sensor, having functional extensibility and flexibility so that diverse functions may be easily added, and have high performance with small size and low power consumption.